Taraba APC urges Court to compel INEC feature its Governorship candidate

The Taraba Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has approached the Federal High Court Jalingo urging it to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include its Governorship candidate, Emmanuel Bwacha on the ballot paper for March 11 election.

The party made the demand after conducting rerun gubernatorial primaries in which senator Bwacha emerged as flag bearer.

When the case came up for mention on Monday, only counsels to the plaintiff were in court while neither the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or its representatives was present.

Barrister Joseph Oguche also announced his presence as an interested party in the matter for Chief David Kente, a former governorship aspirant in the controversial APC primaries nullified by the supreme court.

Justice Bala Usman adjourned to Tuesday March 07, 2023 for further mention.

Speaking to Journalists shortly after the adjournment, Barrister Joseph Oguche gave reason why DSK is interested in the case as interested party.

While, Counsel to the plaintiff Barrister Boniface Yokunbo said he was in the court to hold brief for his senior counsel but was not authorized to grant any press interviews.

Labour Party Adopts Seyi Makinde, as preferred candidate in Oyo.

The leadership of Labour Party LP in Oyo state has declared that it is collapsing its structure to work for the second term bid of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state in the forthcoming Governorship election.
Briefing the journalists at an event after the meeting with Labour Party members in the State, the party’s chairman in the state, stated that the decision was made following a comprehensive discussion with members of the party across the state’s 33 local government areas.
The chairman noted that the last Presidential election was keenly contested by the three major parties in the country and the result of the election as announced by INEC shows that Labour Party is a force to reckon with.
He said the score card presented by the present administration has shown that the governor is concerned about the well being of the populace.

He added the party did a thorough assessment and evaluation of the various governorship candidates and discovered that Makinde stood out above others in terms of character, competence, capacity and compassion for the people.

Sadiq said the party also opined that it was logical for Makinde to be allowed to “continue the good work he has started to engender another four years of giant development in Oyo State.”

Asked about the fact the LP has a governorship candidate in Mr. Taofeek Akinwale, Sadiq said though Akinwale was the party’s candidate, the party’s candidate took the decision to support Makinde of the PDP in the best interest of the party and the citizens of the state.

The LP chairman further held that it took the decision to support Makinde because its unbiased assessment of Akinwale revealed that he cannot win the election.

While supporting Makinde, Sadiq said its party did not collapse its structure into the PDP, saying its structure still was in place to support its other candidates for House of Assembly.
Sadiq said: “On our thorough assessment of the various governorship candidates for the March 11, 2023 election in terms of character, competence, capacity, and compassion for people, His Excellency, Oluseyi Makinde excels above the others.

“Therefore we, at the LP Oyo State, have decided to use the entire structure of our party throughout the 33 local governments to support his re-election for another four years of giant development in Oyo state. And we call on all citizens of Oyo State to vote massively for him. He deserves it.
“He is a candidate that will serve the best interest of the masses the most. It is not that we are collapsing the party structure. The party structure remains, and will use it for other activities. Our candidates for the House of Assembly remain and we will follow it through.

“Tawfiq Akinwale remains the governorship candidate. There is a process for which a candidate is thrown up. You do primary and once the person is selected or elected, the person becomes the candidate of the party.
Tawfiq Akinwale is the candidate of the party but the party structure did an unbiased and dispassionate assessment of our guber candidate and found out that, on a normal day, there is no way he will win that election. It will be unhealthy for us to know what will become of our aspiration and still go ahead.

“For us not to lose focus in the development of the party, it is in the best interest of the party, especially the citizens, to look for a candidate that represents our interest, that has our ideology and delivers for our people, that is what we see in Seyi Makinde. We did this without financial inducement. We are people-focused; people-friendly and we are for the masses.”